Ditching and ridging machine.



No. 717,846. PATENTED JAN. 6-, 1903. L. L. HARDIN. DITGHING AND BIDGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1902.

K0 MODEL.

g :NVENTQR ATTORNEY m: Mamas Paras 20.. PNOYGUTHCL. WASHINGYON. n. c.

LOUISE LEE HARDIN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

VDITCHING AND RIDGING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 717,846, dated January 6, 1903.

Application filed AprillZ, 1902. Serial No. 102,668. (1% model.)

of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains'to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the fig- -ures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for forming ditches and ridges; and

it is more especially intended for use in the preparation of land for irrigation.

My object is to provide a device of this class which shall be simple in construction, economical in cost, reliable, durable, and thoroughly practicable in use; and to these ends the invention consists of the features,

arrangements, and combinations hereinafter described and claimed, all of which will be fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated a embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top or plan View of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken through the axle, showing the mechanism in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a section taken through the tongue, the plowshares or blades, and the guide for the adjustable share-supporting arms. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken through the guide for the share-supporting arms viewed from beneath, the parts being shown on a larger scale.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 6 designate the axle, which is mounted on ground-wheels 7 and journaled in a box attached to the lower side of the tongue 5. The axle extremities, which are engaged by the ground-wheels, are bent downwardly to form cranks 6 Made fast to the axle between these crank extremities is a pinion 16, which is engaged by a segment-gear 14:, fast on a lever 14:, provided with the usual spring-held locking device 14, engaging a notched quadrant 15 of ordinary construction. By manipulating this lever the ground-wheels may be raised and lowered to control the cutting depth of theplowshares 9. EVhen the lever is thrown from the dottedline position to the full-line position in Fig. 2, the ground-wheels will occupy the dottedline position in said figure, thus causing the plowshares to cut deeper into the ground.

The plowshares 9 are detachably mounted on the lower extremities of two pairs of bent arms 12. These arms are composed of vertical parts 12*" and notched overlapping parts 12. The overlapping parts of each pair of arms pass through a horizontal guide 13, mounted on the tongue 5 underneath, and the notches of thesearms areheldin interlocking engagement with each other by set-bolts l3, threaded in the guide. Each share 9 is provided with an eye 9, formed on one side thereof, through which a vertical part 12 of an arm 12 passes. These parts 12 are threaded and held in place by nuts applied thereto above and below the eye.

When the apparatus is in use for ditching purposes, the shares 9 are adapted to occupy the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, their forward extremities being thrown toward each other and being shaped like the letter A. Where these extremities meet, they are covered in front by a sort of shovel 10, having an upwardly-projecting,

arm 10?, secured to the tongue 5 of the machine. This shovel is boltedto the forward extremities of the shares, which are shaped when in this position to throw the dirt outwardly to form a ditch. When forming a ridge, it is intended to adjust the shares to occupy the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, whereby their rear extremities are made to approach each other, so that as the machine is drawn over the field there will be a tendency to throw the dirt inwardly, formingaridge. Thisadjustmentisaccomplished by first removing the shovel l0 and the shares 9 and loosening, the bolts 13 of each guide 13 sufficiently to allow the notched parts 12 of the share-supporting arms to slide past each other in the guide until the arms are in the desired position, after which the notched parts are locked together by screwing the adjusting-bolts 13 inwardly against one of the notched parts. The shares are then reapplied IOO to the arms to bring their curved surfaces inwardly-that is to say, the share formerly on the right is placed on the left, and vice versa.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a suitable frame and ground-wheels, of two plowshares mounted on the frame and arranged in the form of the letter A with the apex forward, whereby the dirt is thrown outwardly in both directions as the machine moves forwardly, and a shovel mounted on the frame and overlapping the apex of the shares, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a frame and ground-wheels, of plowshare-supporting arms LOUISE LEE HARDIN.

Witnesses:

DENA NELSON, A. J. OBRIEN. 

